Super sleuth schoolboy tracks down thief who mugged him at knife-point

Birmingham thief apprehended on number 97 bus after being followed across city by schoolboy victim.

Terrence Jones, from Sedgeill, was jailed for five-and-a-half years for robbery

A Birmingham schoolboy turned super-sleuth when he tracked down a robber who stole his iPhone in a knife attack.

The 12-year-old boy teamed up with a passer-by and a witness to follow the thief across the city.

Criminal Terence Jones, from Sedgehill Avenue in Harborne, had pounced on the 12-year-old as he made his way home from school in Bordesley Green.

But he underestimated his young victim who gave chase and asked a member of the public to report the robbery and his attacker's description via a 999 call.

Jones had to take to desperate measures in an attempt to lose the schoolboy turned detective.

The cowardly attacker temporarily escaped the schoolboy's attention by hiding in a garden but when he emerged a suspicious neighbour followed him in his car and relayed his movements over the phone to police as he boarded the number 97 bus.

Officers intercepted the bus minutes later and arrested the stunned 22-year-old on the top deck.

The boy's phone was found stuffed down the side of a seat.

And at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday (Dec 3) Jones, who admitted robbery, was jailed for five-and-a-half years.

Investigating officer DC Ian Clifford, said: "These days people are quite cynical about community spirit but this is a great example of Good Samaritans coming to the aid of a young victim, not turning a blind eye, and enabling police to make a swift arrest.

"After boarding the bus Jones, who was sweating and out of breath, clearly thought he'd made a successful getaway - he was certainly surprised to see the arresting officers when they appeared up the stairs!"

Jones spotted the lad using his iPhone in Broadway Avenue, Bordesley Green, just after 3.30pm on July 12.

Aware of being followed, the schoolboy zig-zagged across the road in an attempt to spook his follower but Jones closed in, grabbed him from behind and snatched the handset from his pocket.

"In fact, robbery is down by almost a third across the West Midlands with more than 1,500 fewer victims since April compared to the same period in 2011.

"In the New Year and September we run dedicated operations on public transport aimed at protecting school pupils, offering crime prevention advice and encouraging them to be more 'street savvy' by not showing-off gadgets or phones.

"However, there may be opportunist thieves hoping to take advantage of anyone displaying valuables so don't flash them unnecessarily and try to be aware of who's around you."